Mobile lift crane and vehicle tow hoist



g- 25, 1954 M. HAYMAN ETAL 3,145,857

MOBILE LIFT CRANE AND VEHICLE TOW HOIST Fiied Dec. 6, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

Max 1'70 man BY E/nefl 6. lid/en a ATTORNEY A g- 1964 M. HAYMAN ETAL MOBILE LIFT CRANE AND VEHICLE TOW HOIST 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 6, 1962 N 0 an MMZ m 6 AU Wm Mm A TTOKNEY.

g- 1964 M. HAYMAN ETAL MOBILE LIFT CRANE AND VEHICLE TOW HOIST 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Dec. 6, 1962 INVENTOR. Max flay/nan BY FmeJf 6. he/mn /a A TTORN EY.

United States Patent MOBKLE LIFT CRANE AND VEHICLE TOW HOIST Max ll-layman, Battle Creek, Mich, and Ernest G. Hellenga, R0. Box 176, Three Oaks, MiclL, assignors, by

direct and mesne assignments, to said Hellenga and Paul E. Hicks Filed Dec. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 242,757 15 Claims. ((31. 21486) This invention relates to improvements in mobile lift crane and vehicle tow hoist.

The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide in a unitary mobile structure a hydraulically actuated boom crane for lifting heavy objects such as automobile engines or heavy shop equipment or materials and alternatively for lifting disabled vehicles and moving them on the highway.

Second, to provide a rolling lift crane and hoist with adjustably supported high speed wheels which may be moved into lowered position to permit towing of the crane and hoist at highway speeds behind a towing vehicle.

Third, to provide a lift crane with a removable yoke attachable to a towing Vehicle, and adjustably mounted highway wheels so that the crane may be converted from a lift crane to a vehicle tow hoist.

Fourth, to provide a load lifting device having a single hydraulically operated lifting element which can be utilized to raise and lower a crane boom while simultaneously raising and lowering a separate hoist element attachable to disabled vehicles.

Fifth, to provide a crane and hoist having the foregoing advantages which is sturdy and simple and therefore economical to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claims.

The drawings, of which there are two sheets, illustrate a highly practical form of the crane and hoist.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the crane and hoist with parts broken 'away to show details of construction.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of the crane and hoist.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the crane and hoist.

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the tow coupling for the crane shown removed from the crane.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional View taken along the plane of line 5-5 in FIG. 1 and illustrating the relation of the vehicle hoist element to the brace structure of the crane.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevational view of the mounting connection between the hydraulic actuating cylinder and the body of the crane.

The crane or hoist is assembled upon a U-shaped frame having forwardly extending parallel side arms 1 made of I-beam stock and connected across the rear of the frame by a cross member 2 of channel shaped stock. A platform or plate 3 bridges the rear portions of the frame members and is supported along its forward edge by an intermediate cross member 4. At the forward ends of the side arms 1 there are provided spaced forwardly projecting plates 5 supporting fixed axles 6 for small rollers or wheels 7. Toward the rear end of the deck platform 3 and on the under side thereof are mounting plates 8 for caster wheels 9 having supporting yokes 10 and swivel connections 11 tothe base plate. The rollers 7 and casters 9 are commercially available items commonly used for movably supporting heavy loads on garage floors and so are not described or disclosed in greater detail.

Projecting in vertical upright position from the trans- 3,145,857 Patented Aug. 25, 1964 verse center of the platform 3 is a post 12 of hollow rectangular cross section. A rearwardly and downwardly inclined brace post 13 of tubular circular cross section is welded to the top of the post 12 as at 14 and extends downwardly to the rear edge of the plate 3 where it is welded as at 15. Side extension plates 16 secured to the sides of the upright 12 project thereabove for a purpose to be described presently. Laterally and downwardly inclined brace rods 17 are secured to the upper end of the post 12 through the plates 16 and extend downwardly to the forward corners of the plate 3.

Forwardly of the post 12 the base plate 3 supports a pair of spaced upright plates 18 with a bearing pin 19 extending therebetween and a pivot pin 20 supported between the plates above the bearing pin 19. The bearing pin 19 rotatably supports a grooved pulley wheel 21 while the pivot pin 20 supports a tongue 22 depending from the base 23 of the hydraulic cylinder 24. The cylinder 24 has a piston rod 25 extensible from the upper end thereof and a hydraulic pump 26 mounted on the base 23 is provided with an operating handle 27 by means of which hydraulic liquid may be pumped into the cylinder 24 to extend the piston rod 25 or released to permit retraction of the pistonrod. The hydraulic cylinder 24 and its associated base 23, piston rod 25 and pump 26 is a commercially available assembly and so is not disclosed or described in greater detail.

The upper end of the piston rod 25 is pivotally connected at 28 to the under side of the boom farm 29 of a crane. The boom arm is pivotally supported at 30 between the upper ends of the plates 16 and is desirably provided with an adjustably extensible boom section 31 at its forward swinging end. The extensible section 31 carries a slotted plate 32 for selectively receiving different lengths of la lifting chain 33 having a suitable hook 34 on its ends.

When the crane is used as a lifting boom or crane in a garage as for removing engine blocks from automobiles or in a machine shop for lifting any load, the base is rolled along the fioor in a well-known manner to position the boom over the engine compartment or load while the spaced side arms 1 straddle any obstruotion and permit access to the under side of the automobile. The cylinder 24 and boom 29 can then be actuated in an obvious manner to lift the engine or other load. The lifted load can then be moved to any position while suspended on the boom.

In order to permit movement of the crane and hoist along a highway at high speeds the rear portion of the frame is provided with upright support plates 35 welded to the side edges of the bed plate 3 and supporting a cross shaft 36 carrying crank arms .37 with stub axles 38 projecting laterally therefrom. These axles support rubber tired wheels 39 having suitable bearings for moving at highway speeds and under substantial load. When the crank arms 37 are in forwardly raised and rotated positions as shown by full lines the road wheels 39 are raised above the level of the caster wheels 9 but when the arms are swung downwardly as shown in the dotted line position at 39b the casters are raised off the floor and the frame of the crane is supported on the rubber tired road wheels. A hand lever 40 is connected to one of the crank arms 37 and when swung downward- 1y to the dotted position shown at 40b may be secured in place by a pin 41 through the clip 42. In their down- -ward position the crank arms 37 move the stub axles 38 behind the cross shaft 36 and abut against stop blocks 43. In this position the entire weight of the crane tends to hold the wheels in downwardly extended position.

For moving the crane behind a towing vehicle, the forward ends of the arms and the side plates 5 have horizontal plates 44 welded to their top and bottom edges and projecting forwardly. The spaced plates removably receive the rear ends of the forwardly converging arms 45 of a yoke. The arms shown are of oppositely inwardly facing channel section and are removably secured between the plates 44 by pins 46. At their forward ends the arms 45 are connected by upper and lower cross plates 47 and the plates are welded to and support a coupling head indicated generally at 48. The coupling is a commercially available article having a socket 49 and clamp 50 at its front end releasably attachable to a ball coupling element on a towing vehicle. An operating latch for the clamp is indicated at 51. The rear end of the coupling head is connected and braced to the yoke by welding to a cross bar 52 at 53. With the yoke and its coupling head 48 attached, the front end of the frame of the crane and hoist may be picked up off of the forward rollers 9 and moved on the road wheels 39.

In order to adapt the mobile crane structure thus far described as a hoist and towing implement for disabled vehicles, there is provided a towing sling cross bar 55 slidably supported and guided along the rear inclined brace bar 13 by a U-bolt 56. The towing sling bar 55 is provided with suitable attaching chains 57 for attachment to the bumper or frame of a disabled vehicle and at its center is provided with a yoke 58. The yoke 58 is connected to the lower end of a flexible cable 59 such as a wire rope which extends upwardly and over a grooved pulley 60 rotatably supported on the pin 61 between the extension plates 16 at the top of the upright post 12. The cable 59 then extends downwardly and around the under side of the previously described pulley 21 and up to a suitable anchor or connection 62 to the under side of the boom arm 29.

It will be apparent that lowering or retracting the piston rod 25 will lower the anchor 62 and permit lowering of the sling bar 55 and that conversely upward extension of the piston rod 25 will raise the sling bar. It is thus possible and convenient to maneuver the crane on the road wheels 39 into position adjacent a disabled vehicle and lower the sling bar to connect the vehicle to the crane. For this purpose the road wheels 39 are kept relatively small. Eight inch rubber tired wheels are available and practical for this purpose. The sling and the disabled vehicle can then be lifted by actuating the pump handle 27 and, if desired, a safety pin 63 can be presented through one of the holes 64 in the brace bar to support the vehicle in elevated position. The coupling 48 can then be lifted with little effort due to the long lever arm of its position relative to the road wheels and engaged with a ball hitch element of a towing vehicle.

The single hydraulic actuating element 24 constitutes a mechanical advantage device that performs a dual function of actuating a boom crane or a vehicle hoist on a single mobile carriage. The single mobile carriage or frame is adapted for hand movement around a shop into straddling positions with the load to be lifted or for powered towing at highway speeds by attachment of the removable tow yoke and coupling.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means including a base plate connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame and the bottom of said plate,

an upright post mounted on the center of said plate and toward the rear of said frame,

an extensible crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

a pair of spaced plates secured to said base plate ahead of said post and forming a support on said frame,

a hydraulic cylinder having an extensible piston rod pivotally connected between said support and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center slidably connected to said brace bar,

a first pulley supported on a horizontal axis at the top of said post and below the pivoted end of said boom arm,

a second pulley supported on a horizontal axis below the pivotal connection to the bottom of said cylinder and between said space plates,

a cable connected to said sling bar and trained over said pulleys to a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

a transversely spaced pair of high speed road wheels vertically adjustably mounted at the rear of said frame by a cross shaft rockably mounted on the frame and having crank arms on its ends supporting wheel spindles,

said cross shaft having an adjusting lever connected thereto by connection to one of said crank arms,

and a coupling yoke having arms connected at their forward ends to a coupling element and removably connected at their rear ends to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

2. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame,

an upright post mounted toward the rear of said frame,

a crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

means ahead of said post and forming a support on said frame,

a hydraulic cylinder having an extensible piston rod pivotally connected between said support and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center slidably connected to said brace bar,

a first pulley supported on a horizontal axis at the top of said post,

a second pulley supported on a horizontal axis below the pivotal connection to the bottom of said cylinder,

a cable connected to said sling bar and trained over said pulleys to a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

a transversely spaced pair of high speed road wheels vertically adjustably mounted at the rear of said frame,

and a coupling yoke consisting of arms connected at their forward ends to a coupling element and re movably connected at their rear ends to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

3. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame,

an upright post mounted toward the rear of said frame,

a crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

means ahead of said post and forming a support on said frame,

a hydraulic cylinder having an extensible piston rod pivotally connected between said support and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center slidably connected to said brace bar,

a cable connected in tension relation between said sling bar and a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

a transversely spaced pair of high speed road wheels vertically adjustably mounted at the rear of said frame,

and a towing hitch removably connected to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

4. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame,

an upright post mounted toward the rear of said frame,

a crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

a hydraulic cylinder having an extensible piston rod pivotally connected between said frame and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center slidably connected to said brace bar,

a cable connected in tension relation between said sling bar and a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

a transversely spaced pair of high speed road wheels vertically adjustably mounted at the rear of said frame,

and a tow coupling connected to the forward end of said frame.

5. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means including a base plate connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame,

an upright post mounted on the center of said plate and toward the rear of said frame,

an extensible crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

a hydraulic cylinder having an extensible piston rod and pivotally connected between said frame and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center slidably guided by said brace bar,

a first pulley supported on a horizontal axis at the upper part of said post,

a second pulley supported on a horizontal axis below the pivotal connection to the bottom of said cylinder,

a cable connected to said sling bar and trained over said pulleys to a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

and a coupling consisting of towing arms connected at their forward ends to a hitch element and removably connected at their rear ends to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

6. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their for ward ends,

means including a base plate connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame,

an upright post mounted on the center of said plate and toward the rear of said frame,

an extensible crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

a hydraulic cylinder having an extensible piston rod and pivotally connected between said frame and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center slidably guided by said brace bar,

pulleys located at the top and bottom of said post,

a cable connected to said sling bar and trained over said pulleys to a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

and a tow coupling removably connected to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

7. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means including a base plate connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame and the bottom of said plate,

an upright post mounted on the center of said plate and toward the rear of said frame,

an extensible crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

a fluid pressure operated cylinder having an extensible piston rod pivotally connected between said frame and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center vertically slidably connected to said brace bar,

a first pulley supported on a horizontal axis above said sling bar,

a second pulley supported on a horizontal axis below said first pulley and below said boom arm,

a cable connected to said sling bar and trained over said pulleys to a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

a transversely spaced pair of high speed road wheels vertically adjustably mounted at the rear of said frame by a cross shaft rockably mounted on the frame and having crank arms on its ends supporting wheel spindles,

said cross shaft having an adjusting lever connected thereto by connection to one of said crank arms,

and a coupling part connected at its forward end to a coupling element and removably connected at its rear end to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

8. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their for ward ends,

means including a base plate connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

an upright post mounted on the center of said plate and toward the rear of said frame,

an extensible crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

a fluid pressure operated cylinder having an extensible piston rod pivotally connected between said frame and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center vertically slidably guided on the rear of said frame,

a first pulley supported on a horizontal axis above said sling bar,

a second pulley supported on a horizontal axis below said first pulley and below said boom arm,

a cable connected to said sling bar and trained over said pulleys to a connection on a swinging portion of said boom arm,

a transversely spaced pair of high speed road wheels vertically adjustably mounted at the rear of said frame to be swung to frame supporting position,

and a tow coupling removably connected to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

9. A mobile crane and hoist comprising a fiat base having forwardly projecting spaced side arms,

floor engaging rollers supporting the front of said side arms,

high speed road wheels adapted to support the rear end of said base,

means forming an upright support on said base with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined brace on its rear side,

a boom arm pivoted to the top of said support and projecting forwardly over the space between said side arms,

article lifting means adjustably connected to the swinging end of said boom arm,

a hydraulically actuated extensible element having its ends pivotally connected between the rear portion of said base and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

a towing and lifting sling element vertically movably guided along and above the rear of said base and having connections attachable to a vehicle,

a first pulley supported in an elevated position on said upright support above said sling element,

a second pulley supported on said base below said rst pulley,

and a cable connected between said sling element and a swingable portion of said boom arm and trained over said pulleys.

10. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a flat base having forwardly projecting spaced side arms,

floor engaging rollers supporting the front of said side arms,

high speed road wheels adapted to support the rear end of said base,

means forming an upright support on said base with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined brace on its rear side,

a boom arm pivoted to the top of said support and projecting forwardly over the space between said side arms,

article lifting means adjustably connected to the swinging end of said boom arm,

a fluid pressure actuated extensible element having its ends pivotally connected between the rear portion of said base and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

a towing and lifting sling element vertically movably guided along said inclined brace and above the rear of said base and having connections attachable to a vehicle,

and a tension element connected between said sling element and a swingable portion of said boom arm to raise and lower said sling element upon swinging motion of said boom arm.

11. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a flat base having forwardly projecting spaced side arms,

floor engaging rollers supporting the front of said side arms,

other wheels adapted to support the rear end of said base,

means forming an upright support on said base,

a boom arm pivoted to the top of said support and projecting forwardly over the space between said side arms,

article lifting means adjustably connected to the swinging end of said boom arm,

a fluid pressure actuated extensible element having its ends pivotally connected between the rear portion of said base and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

a towing and lifting sling element vertically movably guided along said upright support above the rear of said base and having connections attachable to a vehicle,

and a tension element connected between said sling ele ment and a swingable portion of said boom arm to raise and lower said sling element upon swinging motion of said boom arm.

12. A mobile crane and hoist comprising a fiat base having forwardly projecting spaced side arms,

floor engaging rollers supporting the front of said side arms,

high speed road wheels adapted to support the rear end of said base,

means forming an upright support on said base with a downwardly and rearwardly inclined brace on its rear side,

a boom arm pivoted to said support and projecting forwardly over the space between said side arms,

article lifting means adjustably connected to the swinging end of said boom arm,

a fluid pressure actuated extensible element having its ends pivotally connected between the rear portion of said base and an intermediate portion of said boom arm,

a towing and lifting sling element vertically movably guided along and above the rear of said base and having connections attachable to a vehicle,

a first pulley supported in an elevated position on said upright support above said sling element,

a second pulley supported on said base below said first pulley,

and a cable connected between said sling element and a swingable portion of said boom arm and trained over said pulleys.

13. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a fiat base having forwardly projecting spaced side arms,

a towing connection removably connected between the forward ends of said side arms,

floor engaging rollers supporting the front of said side arms,

high speed road wheels adapted to support the rear end of said base,

means forming an upright support on said base,

a boom arm pivoted to said support and projecting forwardly over the space between said side arms,

article lifting means connected to the swinging end of said boom arm,

a fluid pressure actuated extensible element having its ends pivotally connected between said base and a swinging portion of said boom arm,

a towing and lifting sling element vertically movably guided along and above the rear of said base and having connections attachable to a vehicle,

and a tension member connected between said sling element and a swingable portion of said boom arm to raise and lower said sling element upon swinging of said boom.

14. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame,

an upright post mounted toward the rear of said frame, a crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

an inclined brace bar bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar having its center slidably connected to said brace bar,

mechanical advantage means mounted on said frame for raising and lowering said sling bar and said boom arm,

a transversely spaced pair of high speed road wheels vertically adjustably mounted at the rear of said frame,

and tow coupling removably connected to the forward end of said frame.

15. A mobile crane and hoist comprising,

a horizontal frame having forwardly projecting spaced side arms with floor engaging rollers on their forward ends,

means including a base plate connecting the rear ends of said side arms,

swivel caster wheels mounted on the rear of said frame,

an upright post mounted on the center of said plate and toward the rear of said frame,

an extensible crane boom arm pivoted to the top of said post and projecting forwardly over the space between the arms of said frame,

an inclined brace bracing the top of said post to the rear of said frame,

a transverse towing sling bar slidably guided by said brace,

mechanical advantage means mounted on said frame for raising and lowering said boom and said sling bar,

and a tow coupling removably connected to the forward ends of the arms of said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,887,965 Stoner Nov. 15, 1932 2,389,872 Ruger et a1 Nov. 27, 1945 2,517,813 Wallace Aug. 8, 1950 2,549,120 Ormsby Apr. 17, 1951 2,553,955 Berchtold May 22, 1951 2,701,069 Hawkins Feb. 1, 1955 2,808,160 La Londe Oct. 1, 1957 2,924,428 Whittall et a1. Feb. 9, 1960 2,937,772 Sullivan May 24, 1960 

14. A MOBILE CRANE AND HOIST COMPRISING, A HORIZONTAL FRAME HAVING FORWARDLY PROJECTING SPACED SIDE ARMS WITH FLOOR ENGAGING ROLLERS ON THEIR FORWARD ENDS, MEANS CONNECTING THE REAR ENDS OF SAID SIDE ARMS, SWIVEL CASTER WHEELS MOUNTED ON THE REAR OF SAID FRAME, AN UPRIGHT POST MOUNTED TOWARD THE REAR OF SAID FRAME, A CRANE BOOM ARM PIVOTED TO THE TOP OF SAID POST AND PROJECTING FORWARDLY OVER THE SPACES BETWEEN THE ARMS OF SAID FRAME, AN INCLINED BRACE BAR BRACING THE TOP OF SAID POST TO THE REAR OF SAID FRAME, A TRANSVERSE TOWING SLING BAR HAVING ITS CENTER SLIDABLY CONNECTED TO SAID BRACE BAR, MECHANICAL ADVANTAGE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR RAISING AND LOWERING SAID SLING BAR AND SAID BOOM ARM, A TRANSVERSELY SPACED PAIR OF HIGH SPEED ROAD WHEELS VERTICALLY ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED AT THE REAR OF SAID FRAME, 